


rotten work

by sevensevan



Series: pride month 2018 [22]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Science Girlfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 07:24:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15019613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevensevan/pseuds/sevensevan
Summary: MJ finds Shuri in the lab late one night.





	rotten work

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to beautifullights here on ao3 for the prompt :) also i'm very bitter that "science boyfriends" is a suggested tag but "science girlfriends" is not.

MJ glances around as she walks into the lab, blinking as her eyes adjust to the darkness. It’s easy to spot where Shuri is, since only the absolute back of the lab has any lights on. She heads to the back, carefully navigating past the lab benches and equipment in the darkness.

Shuri is sitting at a lab bench when MJ gets to the back of the lab, staring at the glove of Peter’s Spider-man suit, which is sitting on the table in front of her with all of its electronics exposed. She’s completely engrossed in whatever it is she’s doing, and MJ takes a moment to admire how beautiful she looks like this, completely in her element. But she also looks thoroughly exhausted, and it’s almost eleven o’clock at night, so MJ doesn’t stare at her for too long.

“Hey,” MJ says, and it’s a sign of how tired Shuri is that she doesn’t even jump at the sudden sound. She just looks up from her work, blinking in confusion and smiling wearily at MJ. “What’re you working on?” MJ asks, stepping forwards and sitting down on the stool next to Shuri.

“Peter’s stupid upgrades,” Shuri mutters. “It’s impossible.” MJ frowns. That doesn’t sound like Shuri at all. It doesn’t sound like Peter, either, to ask Shuri for something that difficult.

“Is it something he asked for or something you came up with?” MJ asks. Shuri crosses her arms.

“I came up with,” she mumbles. “I want to improve the protective capabilities. The material used for the lining is…” she trails off, shaking her head.

“Let me see?” MJ says. Shuri pushes the glove over to her with a shrug. MJ peers at it. This isn’t really her area of expertise; she’s smart, sure, but nowhere near Shuri’s level. Shuri is…well, _Shuri_. “What exactly are you going for here?” she asks.

“The gloves have to let him move,” Shuri explains. “But they’re so thin right now, and they won’t stop him from breaking a finger if he catches something wrong. I want to install a sort of…exoskeleton?” She looks at MJ questioningly, making sure she understands. MJ nods, and Shuri continues. “An exoskeleton, or some kind of brace, that will keep his fingers from turning the wrong way. It can’t prevent sprains, but it could keep his bones together. But the lining is this elastic that I can’t figure out. It fixes itself every time I cut it to install this.” She holds up a piece MJ hadn’t seen before, a short piece of some rubber-ish looking material in a formation that reminds MJ of a snake’s skeleton.

“What material are you using for the brace?” MJ asks, tugging at the elastic lining of the glove and watching it snap back into position.

“It’s a synthetic compound that—“ MJ looks up at her, raising an eyebrow. “It’s really fancy rubber.” MJ nods slowly. She grabs the short blade Shuri has been using, cutting the elastic lining open. It’s surprisingly easy to do so, but the cut edges seal back together almost instantly. Interested, MJ pinches a bit of it, cutting it open and sticking her finger into it. The material seals around her finger, pushing it out and returning to its original pristine state.

“Try an oil based compound,” MJ says, looking up. Shuri stares at her. “What?” MJ asks. “The stuff sticks to itself. It won’t stick to my finger, it doesn’t stick to all the electronics in the suit, and I’m guessing it’s been pushing the brace out, right?” Shuri nods. “So it’ll only rebond with itself, or at least stuff like it. And since we live in America, it’s probably made with oil.”

“I knew there was a reason I put up with you,” Shuri says, smiling.

“Three, actually,” MJ says. “My _incredible_ fashion sense, my genius intellect, and my humility. Now come on, it’s like midnight.”

“It is?” Shuri asks in shock. She glances at the clock by the lab bench. “Why are you still awake? Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

“I was taking care of you, dumbass,” MJ says affectionately. She stands, enjoying how much taller than her girlfriend she suddenly is. “Now come on. Deal with the glove tomorrow. Peter will survive another day in his stupid hoodie.” Shuri stands as well, kissing MJ on the cheek quickly before hurrying around the table and shutting off the lights.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she says as they walk out towards the parking lot of the Wakandan outreach center. MJ shrugs.

“I wanted to,” she says.

_I’m pretty sure I’ll always want to_.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm no longer taking prompts for pride month; if you sent me one i promise i'm working on filling it. find me on tumblr @daisys-quake. thanks for reading; leave a comment and kudos if you enjoyed.


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